A Bit of Normalcy
by mcplestreet
Summary: Five was good at reading numbers. Laurette was good at reading people. Sometimes he thought it was a miracle that they got along. Other times he wondered if he needed someone that was his opposite to balance him out. Five/OC oneshot based off of a briefly mentioned character in another story of mine


Hello all! I hope you enjoy this oneshot! it's based off of something mentioned very briefly in my story Martha My Dear (in a chapter I've written but have yet to publish). I didn't think much when I added it but then I thought of this story idea, one thing lead to another, and here we are! I hope you enjoy :)

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_Sunday April 5__th__ 20002_

As he did every Sunday afternoon Five exited the doors of the Umbrella Academy and headed to the park only three blocks away. Normally he would have jumped through the space between two locations but spring weather was finally starting to kick in and the walk cleared his head. He liked walking past the mundane lives of the others living in the neighborhood and fantasizing what his life would be like had he been born like them. Though he much preferred being in the more extraordinary breed of human he couldn't help but wonder every so often.

The fact that Sunday afternoons were the small bit of normalcy the young boy had didn't help keep such fantasies at bay. His week was filled with training, experiments, and a crappy family dynamic. Almost his entire experience with the outside world wasn't specifically his but the Umbrella Academy's.

But Sunday, his one day off, he could be as close to a normal teenager he could get. His only friend outside of the iron gates that surrounded the mansion was entirely to be credited with teaching him what it was that normal teenagers did. Without her he would have been clueless.

Just like every week previous he found her sitting on a bench in front of the only small pond in the park, squinting her eyes to try and get a look at the fish she convinced lived below the surface. She was too focused to sense him approaching, which Five decided to take to his advantage. He jumped from his spot a few feet back to the empty space on the bench next to her.

Five allowed himself a small smile when she practically jumped out of her skin at his sudden presence. Laurette turned and punched him in the arm as hard as she could, which wasn't exactly saying much. "You know I hate when you do that!" she scolded.

"And you know that's why I do it."

"You're a jerk."

"So I've been told."

Laurette rolled her eyes at him before turning her attention back to the pond. Though it had been almost 3 weeks since she got her hair cut to a chin-length bob Five had still yet to get used to it. She'd also gotten highlights in her already blonde hair, and when he asked why she didn't wait until it was warm out to do so she said she hoped doing it would encourage the warm weather to come sooner.

"Any luck finding the fish?" he asked her, certain he already knew the answer.

She hummed and shrugged her shoulders. "I thought I saw something a little while ago. Might have been a tadpole."

"Or you could have been seeing spots from not blinking."

A smile spread on her face. "Sometimes I wonder how I can stand to be around someone so negative."

He wondered the same thing himself from time to time.

Laurette seemed to give up her everlasting search and stood up from the bench. "Where to for lunch today? Diner?"

Five liked what he liked and was set in his ways. Laurette liked going with the flow. He was glad she didn't mind eating at the same place more often than not.

They walked side by side, Laurette doing most of the talking as per usual. Though they never mentioned it aloud she knew he didn't like talking about himself and preferred to listen. She told him about things that had happened at school that week and what her friends had been up to. Five knew she wasn't the biggest fan of the friends she had and they both would have preferred spending more time together but his schedule didn't allow for it. Laurette said she got along better with boys and when Five asked why all her friends were girls she said that all the boys at her school were idiots. She was smarter than she looked and liked being challenged.

They sat in the same booth they did every day, Five facing the door and Laurette facing the window. Five knew what he was going to order as soon as they stepped inside and she was still trying to decide when the waitress came over. Sometimes he thought it was a miracle that they got along. Other times he wondered if he needed someone that was his opposite to balance him out.

Laurette looked across the table at him once their waitress walked away. Though 'serious' wasn't a word he would use to describe her she was suddenly more subdued. "Can I ask you something?"

"If you're going to ask me if I'll pick a new name then no."

They'd had the debate about his name countless times. Though he expected his reply to at least make her smile she seemed unamused. "Something's on your mind." She said. It wasn't a question. It was a statement.

Instead of saying anything he took a long sip from his glass of water. Five was good at reading numbers. Laurette was good at reading people.

"You're quiet today."

"I'm always quiet."

"That's not what I've heard from your family. I heard that you never shut up at home."

"I told you not to believe anything Klaus says."

Laurette rested her arms on the table. "I won't let you deflect." She told him. "There's something you're not telling me. Either you tell me now or I break into your house at midnight and read your diary."

"I don't have a diary. And breaking into my house is a death wish."

"One that will be worth it if I learn what you're keeping from me." She raised an eyebrow at him. "If you care about my safety at all you would tell me now and save me the trouble of fighting for my life tonight."

Though she was clearly kidding he knew that she was undoubtedly the type to stick her nose into his business if he didn't tell her what she wanted to know. There was a lot he kept secret from Laurette, for a lot of reasons, and that was the last thing he needed. "Fine." He said eventually. "I'll tell you. But when I do I don't want you to try to change my mind."

"I don't think I could if I tried."

Five glanced around to make sure no one was within ear shot and they both leaned across the table towards each other. "I'm going to tell my father I want to jump through time."

"But I thought-"

"He's said no before, but I haven't asked in a while." He said, cutting her off. "I've been practicing my special jumps and studying day and night. I _know_ I'm ready for this, it's just a matter of convincing him"

She raised an eyebrow at him. "How likely do you think that is?" She knew, from stories, that the only person more stubborn than Five was his father.

"I'm not sure." He admitted. "If he doesn't immediately shut me down I can show him all the work I've been putting in and make him see that I'm ready for this."

"And if he shuts you down immediately."

"Try again in a few months, I suppose."

Laurette sighed and leaned back in her booth. "Or," she said slowly, "you can actually rebel against your father for the first time in your life."

Five blinked at her. "What do you mean?"

"Why do you need his permission?" she asked him. "Unless you need his help jumping through space I don't see why you shouldn't do it all on your own."

"Since when did you become such a bad influence?"

Her bright smile returned and she shrugged her shoulders. "Since I started hanging out with you, I guess." She said. "Also, I would never tell you do to something if I didn't think you were ready."

"How do you know I'm ready?"

"Your dark circles have been especially bad the past 2 months." She pointed out. "And you're more scatterbrained than usual."

"You know, you know a hell of a lot about me considering I never talk about myself."

Laurette smiled wider. "You study physics." She said, "I study body language. When are you going to talk to him about it?"

"Tomorrow at dinner."

"You better not forget a single detail next week."

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_Sunday April 12__th__ 2002_

Just as she did every Sunday afternoon Laurette got to the park early to try to catch a glimpse at the fish in the pond. She knew they were in there despite everything Five said and how much he teased her. He continuously pointed out how small the pond was and how unlikely generations of fish would survive long enough for her to see them and blah blah blah. She didn't listen to him. She knew they were there.

She sat down on the bench and crossed her legs, her eyes instantly gluing on the water in front of her. It wasn't uncommon for her to lose track of time in her search. But it was strange for someone besides Five to take the spot next to her. A man seeming to be in his 80's asked if he could sit next to her and though she was waiting for her friend she couldn't say no. After a little while she checked her watch anxiously. He was late. It was unlike him.

10 minutes turned into 30 and then an hour and there was still no sign of Five. She knew how he felt about her being in the general vicinity of his house but she also knew how she felt about being punctual. As she walked the short trip to the Umbrella Academy she was expecting to hear that he'd fallen ill and forgot to call her to cancel. The last thing in the world she expected was to be told that her friend hadn't been seen since Monday night.


End file.
